Atishas Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment Pdf, Epub, Ebook

ATISHAS LAMP FOR THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Atisha's most celebrated text, entitled Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment , was written for the Tibetan people at the request of Jangchub Wo. It sets forth the entire Buddhist path within the framework of three levels of motivation on the part of the practitioner, represented by the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana paths. Atisha's text thus became the source of the lamrim tradition, or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment, an approach to spiritual practice incorporated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Geshe Sonam Rinchen's lucid and engaging commentary draws out Atisha's meaning for today's practitioners with warmth and wit, bringing the light of this age-old wisdom into the modern world. Here is an excerpt:. In the state of enlightenment our wisdom truth body is the fulfillment of our own highest aims, while our form bodies are for the well-being of others. In order to attain enlightenment we must complete the stores of merit and insight, and the best way to do this is by working for others. This is done most effectively with the help of extra-sensory perception, which depends upon the development of a calmly abiding mind. The text now explains the reasons for developing such higher perception and how to do so. Just as hens can't fly because their wings are not sufficiently developed for flight, our work for others is hampered without the different forms of higher perception. Enormous merit can be created in. If we are sincere in our wish to gain enlightenment swiftly for the sake of all beings, which is what we promise to do when we take the Bodhisattva vow, we must develop these different types of higher perception as the surest way of completing the great stores of merit and insight. We will only gain them if we know how and set about creating the necessary causes and conditions. If we are lazy about doing this our wish to develop them is futile. How is it done? By practicing placement meditation and developing meditative stabilization in which bliss, the outcome of total mental and physical pliancy, is experienced. This is calm abiding. Maitreya's Ornament for the Mahayana Sutras describes the nine stages of increasing mental stability and clarity which lead to this state. His Differentiation of the Middle Way and the Extremes describes the five faults and how to overcome them through the application of eight counteractions. When trying to develop a calmly abiding mind, continuous practice with the same focal object is essential. If we are trying to make fire by rubbing two sticks together, we can't break off and begin again after some time. After that, generate love for other sentient beings by thinking of the sufferings of death, old age, sickness and rebirth as well as the three sufferings and the general suffering of samsara. In that way, generate bodhicitta. It is necessary to generate the aspiration to attain enlightenment, and the benefits of doing so have been explained in the sutra called Array of Trunks. Atisha also quotes three verses from another sutra, the Sutra Requested by Viradatta , to further explain the benefits of bodhicitta. There are two types of bodhicitta, relative and absolute. The teachings explain that in order to practice engaged bodhicitta, we should take the bodhisattva ordination, but in order to do so we should hold one of the seven levels of pratimoksha ordination, such as gelong , gelongma , getsul , getsulma and so forth. The bodhicitta of aspiration can be generated without dependence upon a lama, but engaged bodhicitta depends on a lama. To find a lama from whom we can take the bodhisattva vow, we have to know the qualifications of such a lama. First, the lama should know all about the ordination and how to bestow it. Furthermore, he should himself be living in the bodhisattva ordination and have compassion for the disciple. Atisha then goes on to explain what, in that case, we should do. This is what we can do. Visualize the merit field and all the buddhas and, in their presence, generate bodhicitta, the intention to attain enlightenment. I will not get angry or harbor avarice, covetousness, jealousy and so forth. I will not harm other sentient beings in any way. I will live in pure discipline by avoiding all negative actions, even worldly desires and sense objects of attachment, such as attractive sounds and beautiful forms and so forth. I shall give up such things. As all the buddhas have followed pure moral conduct, so shall I. Even though it takes an endless amount of time to work for even one sentient being, I shall remain in samsara. I shall make pure the impure realms of sentient beings, places where there are thorns, rocks and ugly mountains. I shall also purify my three doors of body, speech and mind and keep them pure. From now on, I will create no more negative actions. The best way to keep our three doors pure is to generate aspirational bodhicitta, engage in the practice of bodhicitta and follow the path to enlightenment. This depends on observing the three levels of moral conduct—the pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows. If we do this properly, we can complete the two collections of merit and transcendent wisdom. One thing that really helps us complete these two collections is the ability to foresee the future; therefore, we should try to acquire clairvoyance. Without it, we are like a baby bird whose wings are undeveloped and has not yet grown feathers and remains stuck in its nest, unable to fly. Without clairvoyance, we cannot work for other sentient beings. The person who has achieved the psychic power to foresee the future can create more merit in a day than a person without this ability can create in a hundred years. Therefore, to complete the collections of merit and transcendent wisdom quickly, it is necessary to acquire the psychic power to see past, present and future. In order to do this, it is necessary to achieve single-pointed concentration [Skt: samadhi ; Tib: ting-nge-dzin ]. For this, we must understand the details of the method of attaining samadhi, such as the nine stages, the six powers and the four mental engagements. In order to practice samadhi meditation properly, we must ensure that the conditions are perfect. Therefore, we should find a perfect environment, remain quiet and avoid having to do work such as healing the ill and making astrological predictions—any activity that keeps us busy. The way to meditate to attain single-pointed concentration is to focus our mind on a virtuous object, such as an image of the Buddha. We visualize such an image in front of us and simply concentrate on that. But that is not the point. Next we have to practice penetrative insight [Skt: vipashyana ; Tib: lhag-tong ]. Without it, our samadhi cannot remove our delusions. Doing so also depends upon achieving method, such as compassion and so forth. This can lead us to fall into individual liberation, or lower nirvana. Similarly, practicing only method and not wisdom is also a mistake and causes us to remain in samsara. The Buddha taught that of the six perfections, the last of the six is the path of wisdom and the first five—charity, morality, patience, effort and concentration—are the path of method, or skillful means [Skt: upaya ; Tib: thab ]. First, we should meditate on method, then on wisdom, then on both together. By practicing both together, we can receive enlightenment; by practicing the wisdom of selflessness alone, we cannot. Realizing the five aggregates [Skt: skandhas ], the twelve sources and the eighteen constituents as empty of self-existence is recognized as higher wisdom. There is existence and non-existence: there is no such thing as the production of the existent, nor is there such a thing as production of the non- existent. There is no such thing as production of both the existent and the non-existent, nor is there production of neither the existent nor the non- existent. That is one form of logic negating the production of both the existent and the non-existent. There is also another form of logic negating production of a thing from self, other, both or neither—the four extremes. The main thing to discover here is non-self-existence. With the mind, we can switch our life to suffering or we can switch it to happiness, just as we change television channels, choosing to watch programs about fighting and war, or peaceful things, like the nature programs people seem to enjoy. Experiencing happiness or suffering depends entirely on what we do with our mind. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive's editor Gordon McDougall was present throughout these teachings and has now has skillfully edited them into written form that retains the flavor of a great master giving precise instructions to the students sitting before him. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to take care of our minds so that our happiness is in our own hands, gives profound teachings on the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness, discusses the need for ethics and a solid refuge, shows us how to cut the root of samsara, explores why practicing certain tantras is important and especially emphasizes how the guru is the most powerful object of our Dharma practice. The subjects taught by Rinpoche are presented in the order in which they were given, beginning with a deep commentary on the meaning of sang- gya, the Tibetan term usually translated as "buddha," and retaining the powerful method by which Rinpoche would repeatedly reinforce and expand upon earlier topics. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting LamaYeshe. Thank you so much. The Lamrim Chenmo, or Great Treatise on the Steps of the Path, by Je Tsongkhapa is a comprehensive overview of the process of individual enlightenment. Meditation on these steps has been a core practice of Tibetan Buddhists for centuries. The Lamrim Chenmo presents the Buddha's teachings along a continuum of three spiritual attitudes: the person who worries about rebirth, the person who wants to escape rebirth, and finally the person who strives for buddhahood in order to relieve the suffering of all beings--this is the supreme aspiration of the bodhisattva. Given over two months to a group of Western Students in Dharamsala, India, Yangsi Rinpoche's commentary revitalizes our understanding of Tsongkhapa's work, giving readers renewed inspiration. In the classic bestseller, Introduction to Tantra, Lama Yeshe offered a profound and wonderfully clear glimpse into the sophisticated practices of Tibetan Buddhist tantra. This present book, the last major teachings of this great lama, opens up the world of advanced practices for Highest Yoga Tantra initiates in much the same way his earlier work opened up the world of tantra in general. Following Je Tsongkhapa's C. Mastery of inner fire quickly brings the mind to its most refined and penetrating state--the experience of clear light, an extra-ordinarily powerful state of mind that is unequaled in its ability to directly realize ultimate reality. Lama Yeshe felt that twentieth-century Westerners could easily grasp the often misunderstood ideas of this esoteric tradition: "We really need tantra these days because there is a tremendous explosion of delusion and distraction. Lama's own realization of the transformative power of these practices comes through, inspiring his students to discover for themselves their own capacity for inexhaustible bliss. Anyone who has read more than a few books on Tibetan Buddhism will have encountered references to the Six Yogas of Naropa, a preeminent yogic technology system. The six practices—inner heat, illusory body, clear light, consciousness transference, forceful projection, and bardo yoga —gradually came to pervade thousands of monasteries, nunneries, and hermitages throughout Central Asia over the past five and a half centuries. In this book Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to practice Dharma the way the famous Kadampa geshes did. These lamas were exemplary practitioners of Buddhism in Tibet, renowned for their extreme asceticism and uncompromising practice of thought transformation in order to develop bodhicitta. Rinpoche, an exemplar of these practices himself, bases his teachings on Lama Atisha's wonderful text, The Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland. And, as ever, Rinpoche covers a vast amount of ground, teaching on many other topics as well. Thank you so much, and please enjoy this e-book! There are several popular treatments of Buddhism's famous text, the Thirty-Seven Practices of Boddhisattvas, but this is the only one that includes personal accounts by Buddhist practitioners of the ways they have successfully used its teachings of compassion and forgiveness in their everyday lives. The book is briskly-paced and Chodron's explanations make immediate impact. Bodhichitta, often translated as "great compassion," is the gem at the heart of Buddhism. From this altruistic desire to serve others, all other Buddhist practices naturally flow, therefore, this state of mind is one Buddhists should understand and cultivate. In The Awakening Mind, Geshe Tashi Tsering leads us through the two main methods to develop bodhichitta that have been developed by the great Indian and Tibetan Buddhists over the centuries: the seven points of cause and effect, and equalizing and exchanging the self with others. This is the fourth release from Geshe Tashi's Foundation of Buddhist Thought series, which individually and collectively represent an excellent introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. These unique and friendly books are based on the curriculum of a popular course of the same name, developed by Geshe Tashi himself. Geshe Tashi's presentations combine rigor and comprehensiveness with lucidity and accessibility, never divorced from the basic humanity and warmth of his personality. In Geshe Tashi, we encounter the new generation of Tibetan monk-scholars teaching in the West who are following in the footsteps of such revered and groundbreaking teachers as Geshe Wangyal and Geshe Sopa. The Rose and the Lotus is a compendium of explorations of two of the world's largest wisdom traditions, Sufism and Buddhism, and what the practitioners of these two approaches have in common and may have to learn from each other. It includes chapters on important teaching texts, ancient and modern and the clues they give for practice, interviews with esteemed teachers such as Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Roshi Bernie Glassman, Tibetan philosopher Geshe Sonam Rinchen, as well as memories and reflections on teachers such as Javad Nurbakhsh, Idries Shah, and Inayat Khan. Lamrim Tradition – Jangchup Lamrim If it possessed physical form, The merit of the altruistic intention Would completely fill the whole of space And exceed even that. If someone were to fill with jewels As many buddha fields as there are grains Of sand in the Ganges To offer to the Protector of the World,. Having developed the aspiration for enlightenment, Constantly enhance it through concerted effort. To remember it in this and also in other lives, Keep the precepts properly as explained. Without the vow of the engaged intention, Perfect aspiration will not grow. Make effort definitely to take it, Since you want the wish for enlightenment to grow. Those who maintain any of the seven kinds Of individual liberation vow Have the ideal [prerequisite] for The bodhisattva vow, not others. The Tathagata spoke of seven kinds Of individual liberation vow. The best of these is glorious pure conduct, Said to be the vow of a fully ordained person. According to the ritual described in The chapter on discipline in the Bodhisattva Stages, Take the vow from a good And well-qualified spiritual teacher. Understand that a good spiritual teacher Is one skilled in the vow ceremony, Who lives by the vow and has The confidence and compassion to bestow it. However, in case you try but cannot Find such a spiritual teacher, I shall explain another Correct procedure for taking the vow. I invite all beings as my guests And shall free them from cyclic existence. My mental activities, too, I shall purify And do nothing that is non- virtuous. When those observing the vow Of the active altruistic intention have trained well In the three forms of discipline, their respect For these three forms of discipline grows, Which causes purity of body, speech and mind. Therefore, through effort in the vow made by Bodhisattvas for pure, full enlightenment, The collections for complete enlightenment Will be thoroughly accomplished. All buddhas say the cause for the completion Of the collections, whose nature is Merit and exalted wisdom, Is the development of higher perception. Just as a bird with undeveloped Wings cannot fly in the sky, Those without the power of higher perception Cannot work for the good of living beings. The merit gained in a single day By one who possesses higher perception Cannot be gained even in a hundred lifetimes By one without such higher perception. Those who want swiftly to complete The collections for full enlightenment Will accomplish higher perception Through effort, not through laziness. Without the attainment of calm abiding, Higher perception will not occur. Therefore make repeated effort To accomplish calm abiding. While the conditions for calm abiding Are incomplete, meditative stabilization Will not be accomplished, even if one meditates Strenuously for thousands of years. Thus maintaining well the conditions mentioned In the Collection for Meditative Stabilization Chapter , Place the mind on any one Virtuous focal object. When the practitioner has gained calm abiding, Higher perception will also be gained, But without practice of the perfection of wisdom, The obstructions will not come to an end. Thus, to eliminate all obstructions To liberation and omniscience, The practitioner should continually cultivate The perfection of wisdom with skillful means. Wisdom without skillful means And skillful means, too, without wisdom Are referred to as bondage. Therefore do not give up either. To eliminate doubts concerning What is called wisdom and what skillful means, I shall make clear the difference Between skillful means and wisdom. Apart from the perfection of wisdom, All virtuous practices such as The perfection of giving are described As skillful means by the Victorious Ones. Whoever, under the influence of familiarity With skillful means, cultivates wisdom Will quickly attain enlightenment— Not just by meditating on selflessness. Understanding emptiness of inherent existence Through realizing that the aggregates, constituents And sources are not produced Is described as wisdom. Something existent cannot be produced, Nor something non-existent, like a sky flower. These errors are both absurd and thus Both of the two will not occur either. A thing is not produced from itself, Nor from another, also not from both, Nor causelessly either, thus it does not Exist inherently by way of its own entity. Moreover, when all phenomena are examined As to whether they are one or many, They are not seen to exist by way of their own entity, And thus are ascertained as not inherently existent. Since there are a great many passages, I have not cited them here, But have explained just their conclusions For the purpose of meditation. Thus, whatever is meditation On selflessness, in that it does not observe An inherent nature in phenomena, Is the cultivation of wisdom. Just as wisdom does not see An inherent nature in phenomena, Having analyzed wisdom itself by reasoning, Non-conceptually meditate on that. The nature of this worldly existence, Which has come from conceptualization, Is conceptuality. This is considerably cheaper than the telephone! It enables us easily to learn the languages of our students in order to communicate with them directly. The fourth kind of higher perception is knowledge of past places. This refers to memory of past rebirths and enables us to recall the spiritual teachers, people and practices with which we have had a previous close association. We can then seek out those teachers again and continue the practices with which we have already gained familiarity, thereby making faster progress. The fifth is clairvoyance regarding others' feelings of happiness and unhappiness. When we understand what they are experiencing our help will address their needs. The sixth is knowledge of the end of contamination. This is a personal understanding gained through meditation and higher perception of the paths which lead to liberation and of how to communicate them to others. Since Bodhisattvas are entirely concerned with others' well-being, they only use these powers for beneficent purposes. Celestial beings, beings in the intermediate state and hungry spirits are bom with limited and partial forms of higher perception. If we happen to have a dream or intuition that comes true, we immediately suspect that we may possess clairvoyant powers. Bodhisattvas make a conscious and concerted effort to develop reliable forms of extra-sensory perception for the sake of helping others. The heightened state of concentration which forms the basis for this is the same whether attained by Buddhists or non-Buddhists. When accompanied by sincere refuge in the Three Jewels it is a Buddhist practice. When accompanied by a strong wish to gain freedom from cyclic existence it acts as a cause for liberation, while the intention to attain enlightenment for the sake of all living beings makes it a Mahayana practice. A calmly abiding mind is necessary for attaining special insight according to the sutra tradition and for attaining the stages of generation and completion in the practice of tantra. While Atisha stresses its importance as the foundation for higher perception, Shantideva and other great masters point out that only through special insight into reality can we eliminate the ignorance which lies at the root of cyclic existence, and that such special insight cannot be developed without a calmly abiding mind. Even if we do not succeed in developing this heightened state of meditative stabilization, we can enhance our mental stability and concentration. This will make our meditation, our daily prayers and practice of virtue much more effective. If we wish to achieve anytliing powerful we must learn to concentrate. In the chapter on maintaining mental alertness in Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds Shantideva reminds us that distraction weakens everything we do:. The explanation of how to gain higher perception through developing a calmly abiding mind has three parts. First the prerequisites are discussed, then the method of cultivating calm abiding is described and finally the great benefits of developing it are mentioned. Menu Search. Cart You have no items in your shopping cart. Search: Search. My Account Login. Shambhala logo. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here. Related Topics Lam Rim. The following article is from the Summer, issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment •

It was subsequently adopted by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The series of smaller and larger Lamrim texts by Je Tsong Khapa are now some of the best-known examples of Lamrim. In addition to these foundational texts, many Lamrim commentaries have been written by Kadam and Gelug lamas, including the eighteen Lamrim commentaries which His Holiness the Dalai Lama taught during the Jangchup Lamrim Teachings. The primary goal of these teachings is to discipline and transform the mind. These texts have their source in the sutras and the other teachings of the Buddha himself, but their special virtue is that they convey the thought of the Buddha in a format that is easy to apply in actual practice. The authors of these wonderful texts composed them in order to help all living beings. Since they developed the altruistic attitude to benefit mother sentient beings, we too should follow their example, irrespective of our own weak situation. The Buddha and the great teachers who followed him gave clear instructions on how to proceed from a state of suffering to a state of peace and happiness. Following such teachings of the great masters of the past, Atisha summarized them in his famous text, the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. It was then transmitted through the Kadam lineages, finally coming down to Tsongkhapa. He was an unparalleled scholar, who composed the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, the marvelous text explained here in the manner of the great masters of Nalanda monastic university. We are indeed fortunate after so much time to have access to such a great work and to be able to read and think about what it contains. The two principal aspects of practice described here are a proper understanding of emptiness and the awakening mind of bodhicitta. A correct understanding of the view of emptiness is very important, for whether you are taking refuge, or cultivating the awakening mind of bodhicitta, all other practices are enhanced by such an understanding. At the same time, it is extremely important that our insight into the ultimate nature of reality is supported by compassion and the awakening mind of bodhicitta. In my own case, regardless of my limited capacity, I try my best to develop these two minds: the wisdom understanding emptiness, and bodhicitta—the wish to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Doing so also depends upon achieving method, such as compassion and so forth. This can lead us to fall into individual liberation, or lower nirvana. Similarly, practicing only method and not wisdom is also a mistake and causes us to remain in samsara. The Buddha taught that of the six perfections, the last of the six is the path of wisdom and the first five—charity, morality, patience, effort and concentration—are the path of method, or skillful means [Skt: upaya ; Tib: thab ]. First, we should meditate on method, then on wisdom, then on both together. By practicing both together, we can receive enlightenment; by practicing the wisdom of selflessness alone, we cannot. Realizing the five aggregates [Skt: skandhas ], the twelve sources and the eighteen constituents as empty of self-existence is recognized as higher wisdom. There is existence and non-existence: there is no such thing as the production of the existent, nor is there such a thing as production of the non-existent. There is no such thing as production of both the existent and the non-existent, nor is there production of neither the existent nor the non-existent. That is one form of logic negating the production of both the existent and the non-existent. There is also another form of logic negating production of a thing from self, other, both or neither—the four extremes. The main thing to discover here is non-self-existence. That can be found through the first line of logical reasoning, which negates production of the existent and the non-existent, and through the second, which negates production of the four extremes. It can also be discovered through a third line of reasoning that examines things to see whether they are one or many. These lines of reasoning are elaborated by Nagarjuna in his Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness and in other texts, such as his Treatise on the Middle Way. These things are explained in those texts, but here they are mentioned just for the purpose of practicing meditation. Meditating on the non-self-existence of the I and the non-self-existence of all other phenomena is meditation on shunyata , or emptiness. When the wisdom realizing emptiness analyzes the subject and the object, it cannot discover self-existence in either of those. Moreover, it cannot find self-existence in the wisdom of emptiness. Thus, we realize the emptiness of even the wisdom of emptiness itself. Since this world is created by superstition, or conceptuality [Tib: nam-tog ], if we eradicate the creator, superstition, we can attain liberation. The Buddha said that it is superstition that causes us to fall into the ocean of samsara. Therefore, that which is to be avoided is superstition, but the emptiness of superstition, which is like the sky, like empty space, is that which is to be practiced. By achieving this, we will be able to see the absolute nature of existence. Through the various different means of logic—by realizing the emptiness of the produced and of inherent existence—we can avoid superstition and achieve the wisdom of shunyata. Then we can also attain the different levels of the path of preparation [Tib: jor-lam ], the second of the five paths. We attain the four levels of this path and gradually the ten bhumis [Tib: sa ], or bodhisattva grounds, as well. Finally, we attain the eleventh level, enlightenment itself. Through the practice of tantra we can receive enlightenment without having to undergo many great austerities. The tantric way to enlightenment is through happiness; other paths to enlightenment are through hard, austere practice. First we have to receive initiation. In order to do so, we have to make material offerings, such as gold or even members of our family—a spouse or a sibling— and with great devotion request our guru to give us the initiation. Having taken it, we also receive the great fortune of being able to attain enlightenment and all the high realizations that come with it. In Highest Yoga Tantra there are four different initiations: the vase, secret, transcendent wisdom and word initiations, the latter being where the guru imparts clarification, or proof, through verbal explanation. However, the secret initiation should not be given to those living in ordination. If monks, for example, take the secret initiation, they have to leave the monastic order, because those who have taken the secret initiation are required to practice with a female consort. If they do these practices without first returning their ordination, they lose it, the consequence of which is rebirth in hell. To receive tantric commentaries, you first have to receive initiation. Without initiation, you cannot receive tantric teachings. You also cannot perform fire pujas [Tib: jin-sek ] or give tantric teachings. Where does the Lamp itself refer back to? In terms of prajnaparamita texts, there are elaborate, intermediate and short, but the author of all of them is the Buddha. Therefore, all lam-rim texts have their source in the teachings of the Buddha. If you want to understand the lam-rim well, you should study it as extensively as possible. When you understand the lam-rim well, you will understand the Lamp for the Path. Once you do, you should teach it all over the world. There are many aspects of the Mahayana tradition, but in general, it contains great knowledge. The main thing, however, the fundamental thing, is concern for others, working for others, benefiting others. Followers of the Hinayana are mainly concerned about only their own samsaric suffering—in order to escape it, they follow the path of the three higher trainings: higher conduct, higher concentration and higher wisdom. There are many ways to explain how the Mahayana is different from and higher than the Hinayana, but the main difference is that Mahayana practitioners are more concerned with working for the welfare of others than their own. People nowadays might think of helping other people, but Mahayana practitioners benefit not only other people but also suffering hell beings, pretas, animals and every other sentient being. There is not one sentient being who has not been our mother—all sentient beings have been our mother numberless times—therefore we should be concerned for their welfare, wanting them to become enlightened as quickly as possible. This, then, is the fundamental difference between the Hinayana and the Mahayana, this concern more for others than oneself, in particular, the wish to enlighten all sentient beings. It is excellent that you are studying the vast and profound teachings of the Mahayana, thinking about them, analyzing them intently, and you should continue to do so. In general, there are many religions and everyone thinks that the teaching of his or her own religion is the best. However, there are many logical reasons you can use to prove that Buddhadharma is, in fact, the best. For example, even accepting and practicing bodhicitta is very different from not accepting and practicing bodhicitta. Buddhism also talks about dependent origination and emptiness; it explains dependent origination as it exists, right there. So, not only in conduct but also in view, Buddhism is very different from other religions and therefore the best. There are many ways to prove this. However, Buddhadharma is something that the more you study it, the deeper it becomes, the more profound you find it to be. This is a quality unique to Buddhadharma. With other teachings, the more you study them, the lighter they become. If you have understood any of what I have taught here, keep it in mind and build upon it. When you have understood more, keep that as your foundation and build further upon that. In this way, your knowledge will continually increase. Then, like the sun rising, spread Dharma in the West. There are many countries, such as Vietnam, where Buddhism existed for centuries, but none were like Tibet. In those countries there existed only one aspect of the Buddhadharma, not all; but in Tibet, all aspects of the teaching existed—Hinayana, Sutrayana and Vajrayana. In order to study all this, you should learn the Tibetan language, study its grammar, and follow your lama properly. The reason I have given you this teaching is not to receive something but for you to practice purely. I accept offerings only when I lack something. My idea of wealth is different. Otherwise, teaching and taking money is a bit like making business. For the long version of this story, see Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand , pp. See Hopkins, Jeffrey : Meditation on Emptiness , pp. See Illuminating the Path , p.

Commentary on "A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" | Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

This text is based on the Prajnaparamita teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and is the source of not only all the Gelug lam-rim teachings but also those of the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism, which all practice the graduated path to enlightenment and quote it in their teachings. After generating bodhicitta, as above, our main task is to attain enlightenment. There is no true pleasure in samsara. Enlightenment can be attained only through the practice of Dharma. Therefore, we should all practice Dharma. In terms of teachings in general, there are two types: Buddhadharma and the teachings of the outsiders [Skt: tirthika ; Tib: mu-teg-pa ] 2 , which are based on mistaken beliefs, understandings opposite to those of Buddhadharma. By following such non-Buddhist teachings, you can be born anywhere from the lower realms to the peak of samsara, the highest of the four formless realms, but you can never escape from suffering. Within the Buddhadharma, there are also two divisions: Hinayana and Mahayana. By following Hinayana teachings, you can escape from samsara but you cannot attain enlightenment. To attain enlightenment, you have to practice Mahayana teachings. Within the Mahayana there are the teachings spoken by the Buddha himself and those written later by his learned followers, the eminent Indian pandits, including the six ornaments and the two supremes, 3 and the great Tibetan masters. What is it about? This is followed by homage to Manjushri. The first verse includes three things. First there is homage to the Triple Gem: the buddhas of the three times, the oral teachings and realization of them, and the sangha—those who have received the unshakable, or noble, path. These are also the paths that Lama Tsongkhapa explains in his short, middle-length and great lam-rim teachings—the graduated paths of these three types of practitioner. Of the three levels of follower, Atisha first explains the graduated path of those of least capacity. Persons of intermediate capacity develop aversion to not only the sufferings of the three lower realms but also to those of the three upper realms; to the whole of samsara. Such practitioners abstain from negative actions in order to free themselves from samsara, without much concern for other sentient beings. Who, then, are the beings of greatest capacity? They are those who, having understood their own suffering, take it as an example of the suffering that other beings are also experiencing and generate the great wish of wanting to put an end to the suffering of all sentient beings. There are six preparatory practices. First, visualize the merit field and make offerings. Then kneel down with your hands in prostration and take refuge in the Triple Gem. After that, generate love for other sentient beings by thinking of the sufferings of death, old age, sickness and rebirth as well as the three sufferings and the general suffering of samsara. In that way, generate bodhicitta. It is necessary to generate the aspiration to attain enlightenment, and the benefits of doing so have been explained in the sutra called Array of Trunks. Atisha also quotes three verses from another sutra, the Sutra Requested by Viradatta , to further explain the benefits of bodhicitta. There are two types of bodhicitta, relative and absolute. The teachings explain that in order to practice engaged bodhicitta, we should take the bodhisattva ordination, but in order to do so we should hold one of the seven levels of pratimoksha ordination, such as gelong , gelongma , getsul , getsulma and so forth. The bodhicitta of aspiration can be generated without dependence upon a lama, but engaged bodhicitta depends on a lama. To find a lama from whom we can take the bodhisattva vow, we have to know the qualifications of such a lama. First, the lama should know all about the ordination and how to bestow it. Furthermore, he should himself be living in the bodhisattva ordination and have compassion for the disciple. Atisha then goes on to explain what, in that case, we should do. This is what we can do. Visualize the merit field and all the buddhas and, in their presence, generate bodhicitta, the intention to attain enlightenment. I will not get angry or harbor avarice, covetousness, jealousy and so forth. I will not harm other sentient beings in any way. I will live in pure discipline by avoiding all negative actions, even worldly desires and sense objects of attachment, such as attractive sounds and beautiful forms and so forth. I shall give up such things. As all the buddhas have followed pure moral conduct, so shall I. Even though it takes an endless amount of time to work for even one sentient being, I shall remain in samsara. I shall make pure the impure realms of sentient beings, places where there are thorns, rocks and ugly mountains. I shall also purify my three doors of body, speech and mind and keep them pure. From now on, I will create no more negative actions. The best way to keep our three doors pure is to generate aspirational bodhicitta, engage in the practice of bodhicitta and follow the path to enlightenment. This depends on observing the three levels of moral conduct—the pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows. If we do this properly, we can complete the two collections of merit and transcendent wisdom. One thing that really helps us complete these two collections is the ability to foresee the future; therefore, we should try to acquire clairvoyance. Without it, we are like a baby bird whose wings are undeveloped and has not yet grown feathers and remains stuck in its nest, unable to fly. Focus on the non-dual nature of appearances and emptiness. If your mind continues to wander uncontrollably from the virtuous object of meditation and remains a slave to the objects of the senses, emphasize calm abiding to bring it under control. Take each subject from guru devotion to special insight and make it your meditation object for a week at a time. Then start over once more at the beginning and repeat the cycle again and again. In this way you will progressively deepen your understanding of each subject, while, at the same time, keep the whole path in mind. The foundation of all good qualities is the kind and venerable guru. Correctly devoting to him is the root of the path. By clearly seeing this and applying great effort, May I rely upon him with great respect. By understanding that the precious freedom of this rebirth is found only once, is greatly meaningful and difficult to find again, May I generate the mind that unceasingly, day and night, takes hold of its essence. This life is as impermanent as a water bubble — how quickly it decays and death comes! And after death, just like a shadow follows the body, the results of black and white karma follow. Finding firm and definite conviction in this, May I always be careful to abandon even the slightest negativities and accomplish all virtuous deeds. Seeking samsaric pleasures is the door to all suffering. They are uncertain and cannot be relied on. Recognizing these shortcomings, May I generate the strong wish for the bliss of liberation. Led by this pure thought, mindfulness, alertness and great caution arise. The root of the teachings is keeping the pratimoksha individual liberation vows. May I accomplish this essential practice. Just as I have fallen into the sea of samsara, so too have all mother migratory beings. May I see this, train in supreme bodhicitta, and bear the responsibility of freeing migratory beings. By clearly recognizing that developing bodhicitta, without practicing the three types of morality1, I will not achieve enlightenment, May I practice the bodhisattva vows with great energy. By pacifying distractions to wrong objects, and correctly analyzing the meaning of reality, May I generate quickly within my mindstream the unified path of calm abiding and special insight. Having become a pure vessel by training in the general path, May I enter the holy gateway of the fortunate ones, the supreme vajra vehicle. At that time, the basis of accomplishing the two attainments is keeping pure vows and samaya. Having become firmly convinced of this, May I protect these vows and pledges like my life. Then, having realized the importance of the two stages, which are the essence of the vajrayana, by practicing with great energy, never giving up the four sessions, May I realize the teachings of the holy guru. Like that, may the virtuous teachers who show the noble path, and the spiritual friends who practice it have long lives. May I pacify completely all outer and inner hindrances. In all my rebirths, never separated from perfect gurus, May I enjoy the magnificent Dharma. This title is also available as an ebook on the GooglePlay Store The key to happiness is the mind. With the mind, we can switch our life to suffering or we can switch it to happiness, just as we change television channels, choosing to watch programs about fighting and war, or peaceful things, like the nature programs people seem to enjoy. Experiencing happiness or suffering depends entirely on what we do with our mind. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive's editor Gordon McDougall was present throughout these teachings and has now has skillfully edited them into written form that retains the flavor of a great master giving precise instructions to the students sitting before him. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to take care of our minds so that our happiness is in our own hands, gives profound teachings on the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness, discusses the need for ethics and a solid refuge, shows us how to cut the root of samsara, explores why practicing certain tantras is important and especially emphasizes how the guru is the most powerful object of our Dharma practice. The subjects taught by Rinpoche are presented in the order in which they were given, beginning with a deep commentary on the meaning of sang-gya, the Tibetan term usually translated as "buddha," and retaining the powerful method by which Rinpoche would repeatedly reinforce and expand upon earlier topics. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting LamaYeshe. Thank you so much. The Lamrim Chenmo, or Great Treatise on the Steps of the Path, by Je Tsongkhapa is a comprehensive overview of the process of individual enlightenment. Meditation on these steps has been a core practice of Tibetan Buddhists for centuries. The Lamrim Chenmo presents the Buddha's teachings along a continuum of three spiritual attitudes: the person who worries about rebirth, the person who wants to escape rebirth, and finally the person who strives for buddhahood in order to relieve the suffering of all beings--this is the supreme aspiration of the bodhisattva. Given over two months to a group of Western Students in Dharamsala, India, Yangsi Rinpoche's commentary revitalizes our understanding of Tsongkhapa's work, giving readers renewed inspiration. In the classic bestseller, Introduction to Tantra, Lama Yeshe offered a profound and wonderfully clear glimpse into the sophisticated practices of Tibetan Buddhist tantra. This present book, the last major teachings of this great lama, opens up the world of advanced practices for Highest Yoga Tantra initiates in much the same way his earlier work opened up the world of tantra in general. Following Je Tsongkhapa's C. Mastery of inner fire quickly brings the mind to its most refined and penetrating state--the experience of clear light, an extra-ordinarily powerful state of mind that is unequaled in its ability to directly realize ultimate reality. Lama Yeshe felt that twentieth-century Westerners could easily grasp the often misunderstood ideas of this esoteric tradition: "We really need tantra these days because there is a tremendous explosion of delusion and distraction. Lama's own realization of the transformative power of these practices comes through, inspiring his students to discover for themselves their own capacity for inexhaustible bliss. Anyone who has read more than a few books on Tibetan Buddhism will have encountered references to the Six Yogas of Naropa, a preeminent yogic technology system. The six practices—inner heat, illusory body, clear light, consciousness transference, forceful projection, and bardo yoga—gradually came to pervade thousands of monasteries, nunneries, and hermitages throughout Central Asia over the past five and a half centuries. In this book Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to practice Dharma the way the famous Kadampa geshes did. These lamas were exemplary practitioners of Buddhism in Tibet, renowned for their extreme asceticism and uncompromising practice of thought transformation in order to develop bodhicitta. Rinpoche, an exemplar of these practices himself, bases his teachings on Lama Atisha's wonderful text, The Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland. And, as ever, Rinpoche covers a vast amount of ground, teaching on many other topics as well. Thank you so much, and please enjoy this e-book! There are several popular treatments of Buddhism's famous text, the Thirty-Seven Practices of Boddhisattvas, but this is the only one that includes personal accounts by Buddhist practitioners of the ways they have successfully used its teachings of compassion and forgiveness in their everyday lives. The book is briskly-paced and Chodron's explanations make immediate impact. Bodhichitta, often translated as "great compassion," is the gem at the heart of Buddhism. From this altruistic desire to serve others, all other Buddhist practices naturally flow, therefore, this state of mind is one Buddhists should understand and cultivate. In The Awakening Mind, Geshe Tashi Tsering leads us through the two main methods to develop bodhichitta that have been developed by the great Indian and Tibetan Buddhists over the centuries: the seven points of cause and effect, and equalizing and exchanging the self with others. This is the fourth release from Geshe Tashi's Foundation of Buddhist Thought series, which individually and collectively represent an excellent introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. These unique and friendly books are based on the curriculum of a popular course of the same name, developed by Geshe Tashi himself. Geshe Tashi's presentations combine rigor and comprehensiveness with lucidity and accessibility, never divorced from the basic humanity and warmth of his personality. In Geshe Tashi, we encounter the new generation of Tibetan monk-scholars teaching in the West who are following in the footsteps of such revered and groundbreaking teachers as Geshe Wangyal and Geshe Sopa. The Rose and the Lotus is a compendium of explorations of two of the world's largest wisdom traditions, Sufism and Buddhism, and what the practitioners of these two approaches have in common and may have to learn from each other. https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4637288/normal_60203ec0704d6.pdf https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/e7045c63-4639-45ed-a418-f34dd76db1a4/glossar-zu-den-liedern-der-edda-saemundar-edda-155.pdf https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/dd3024e4-5d4f-4f0e-91f6-ecf1aff65cf1/unterschatze-niemals-einen-alten-mann-mit-einem-eurasier-hund- notizbuch-notizblock-geburtstag-ge-679.pdf https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/23ee1cc8-5bae-43b8-9ac4-7e3d39428511/die-bedeutung-von-fringe-benefits-als-lohnbestandteil-721.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9585730/UploadedFiles/44915EE8-6A5A-8768-BBD2-E50B49C9953C.pdf